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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22822243">Avoiding the Merchant's Guild</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/manka/pseuds/manka'>manka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>How to Win a Losing Hand: One-Shots from the Love Story of Varric Tethras and Maria Cadash (Canon Dragon Age Setting) [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Clothed Sex, Cunnilingus, Dwarf Sex, Dwarven Carta (Dragon Age), Dwarven Politics, Exhibitionism, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Merchants Guild, Shameless Smut, Vaginal Sex, Varric Tethras Is So Done, Varric Tethras' Chest Hair, Varric's a giver</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:21:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,218</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22822243</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/manka/pseuds/manka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria Cadash knows one way to help Varric avoid his Merchant Guild problems.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Cadash/Varric Tethras, Female Inquisitor/Varric Tethras</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>How to Win a Losing Hand: One-Shots from the Love Story of Varric Tethras and Maria Cadash (Canon Dragon Age Setting) [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896694</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Avoiding the Merchant's Guild</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Shameless smut and fluff because these two are my dorks and I adore them but my main stories are so angsty.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It starts off innocently enough. Of course, it always did. One second, Maria found herself simply sitting on the roof of the tavern with Sera, eating cookies that were moderately better than the elf’s first attempt, enjoying the weak afternoon sun. </p><p>The next second she spotted Varric Tethras himself ambling up the steps, but if he saw her, he didn’t make any sign. In fact, judging by the nice little scowl marring his perfectly kissable lips, he was rather too engrossed in whatever damn letter he held in his hands to notice much at all. That gave Maria plenty of time to ogle him from a distance even as his expression grew more thunderous. </p><p>Some bad news from the Merchant’s Guild, then. But when was it ever good news from the Merchant’s Guild? Maria shook her head and pulled her knees to her chest, admiring the way Varric moved, the confident swagger of a man assured of his place. The flash of gold catching the sun in his ear, his broken nose charmingly softening his rugged features.</p><p>“Ugh. There you go again. With the eyes.” Sera muttered. </p><p>“I’ve heard they’re my best feature.” Maria ripped the topic of their conversation away from Varric and back to Sera, fluttering her lashes in a matter she copied wholesale from her sister to frame the silvery orbs to their full effect. If Bea would have used the same trick on the lanky elf, it would have worked miracles. Sera just rolled her own eyes. </p><p>“Wasted on him.” Sera pointed out, muffled though it was by a mouthful of cookie. “With his hair and words. He makes me itch.” </p><p>Sera’s nose twitched as if it agreed with her statement. Maria couldn’t help her own amused smile. “I think you like him, Sera. Deep down.”</p><p>“Not as deep down as you do, yeah?” </p><p>Her amusement blossomed into a startled laugh that rocked her entire frame before she could catch it. Sera’s satisfied grin and wiggling eyebrows only served to make the lewd statement even funnier. </p><p>“You’re both having a suspicious amount of fun up there.” </p><p>Varric’s voice, playfully disapproving, drifted up from below them. Maria dared a peak over the edge of the roof to see him <em>beaming</em> up at them, at her. “What are you plotting?” </p><p>It was an impulse decision. Born of several key factors. </p><p>First, even though Varric was smiling, there were hard lines on his brow, crinkling around the corners of his eyes. They matched the hard grip on the paper in his hand. He clearly needed rescued from something. Maria, of course, excelled at daring rescues. </p><p>Second, Sera was opening her mouth and judging by the wicked grin on her face, anything that came out of it was going to be both incredibly lewd and excessively filthy. If Maria was going to participate in that kind of talk, she’d rather it be Varric breathing obscene promises into her ear. </p><p>Third, they’d finished the bottle of wine they dragged up here <em>ages</em> ago and the bubbles still danced in her blood. </p><p>And, finally, the cookies really weren’t all that great. Raisins always ruined a perfectly good cookie in her opinion. </p><p>She grabbed one in a split second, hauled her arm back in another fraction of one, and released it in a perfect arch to the hapless, surprised man beneath her. It hit his chest with a solid thump just like one of her arrows. The cookie fell to the ground and crumbled. </p><p>“You’ll have to catch me to find out!” She called out, standing rather steadily despite the wine sloshing in her stomach and diving back through Sera’s window followed by stunned silence.</p><p>Immediately it was shattered by Sera’s guffaws. Giggling herself, Maria shoved out Sera’s door and made a beeline straight to the stairs going to the upper level. She took them as quickly as her short legs could manage, plotting the next steps like Cullen marshaling troops. Varric would follow her in through the tavern below, up the steps, out on a merry chase down the battlements before she let him catch her right at the foot of her bedroom. Then she’d…</p><p>The door leading to the battlements swung open just as she reached for it. A surprised, indignant squeak was the only sound she managed to make before she was swept into silk covered arms, pressed against solid muscle, caged back against the railing. </p><p>The damn man must have <em>hoofed </em>it up those steps before she even vaulted the whole way through Sera’s window. </p><p>“Throwing food, Princess?” Varric asked with a soft chuckle against her neck. His lips were achingly close to her skin, she wondered if he could hear her heart stutter as his words sang through her blood. “What would Ruffles say?” </p><p>“You’d have to convince her Sera’s cookies were food first.” Maria couldn’t hope to slip Varric, not like this anyway, but she found she didn’t quite want to. Instead she arched her back against the railing pushing against her back and curved her form into his solid bulk. “Just because you’ve caught me, Serah, doesn’t mean I’ll reveal my nefarious plans.”</p><p>“Nefarious?” Varric’s palms, big enough to easily span her waist, trailed leisurely up the loose cotton blouse she wore. “That would be a twist nobody saw coming. The Inquisitor scheming up plans for world domination while eating chocolate chip cookies on a roof.” </p><p>“They were raisin.” Maria admitted, giving into the temptation to trail her fingers up his chest, the smooth yet coarse hair covering it, the muscles that twitched in response, the way she swore she could feel his own heartbeat matching hers. </p><p>“In that case, we should have seen it coming. What kind of cruel monster enjoys raisin cookies?” Varric teased, kissing a trail up her pale skin and capturing her mouth before she could respond. </p><p>She expected a playful, sweet kiss. And that’s what she got, at first anyway. Then it deepened, tilted, and Varric was grabbing onto her for dear life, clutching at her shirt, pulling her flush to him, demanding and bruising and breathless. He kissed her like he had demons on his heels, kissed her with a dangerous passion that made her head spin more than the wine had. </p><p>And maybe she should have pushed him away, but he played her like an instrument and she was helpless but to melt bonelessly into his embrace, tearing his own tunic away from his skin to get <em>more</em>. More heat, more warmth, more…</p><p>He pulled away just as her fingers knotted in that damn sash of his. “You’re drunk.” He accused gently, catching the hint of wine on her lips. </p><p>“I resent the implication.” She was <em>tipsy</em>, but she certainly wasn’t drunk. If she was drunk, she’d never be able to undo the blasted knot holding his sash in place, but her deft fingers were undoing it like they had a mind of their own. “The Inquisitor eating <em>raisin</em> cookies on a <em>roof</em> while <em>drunk</em>? Do you honestly think Josie would risk such a scandal?” </p><p>“Maria.” Her name in his mouth always made her heart skip joyfully, even when he said it in such fond reproach. “You’re undressing me in the same place Cole <em>lives</em>. In a <em>tavern</em>.” </p><p>“He’s not here, though.” She tipped her head up and caught the corner of his jaw, placing an almost chaste kiss over his stubble. “You are.” </p><p>“Me, also a sizable portion of Skyhold, a least one trained spy, and a delegation of the Merchant’s Guild’s finest downstairs.” Varric grumbled. </p><p>Maria laughed, she couldn’t help herself. Well, she guessed she knew what had soured his mood and caused those lines on his face. As if she could smooth them away, she pressed herself onto tip toes and trailed her lips over his brow. “Stone help us. What do they want?” </p><p>“Money. Power. To ruin my day.” Varric scoffed, but as he spoke his grip tightened on her waist. “Take your pick.” </p><p>Maria wished the shadows of the attic weren’t so deep, didn’t hide his eyes quite so well. She hummed a note under her breath and rested one hand over his silk covered chest, right over his beating heart. The other cupped his jaw. </p><p>She meant to say something lighthearted, something to ease the tense lines of his body. Instead, her heart caught in her throat as he turned his head to press a searing kiss into her palm, directly over the anchor sputtering within her leather glove. That little gesture made her weak in the knees, suffused her whole being with warmth. </p><p>Hers. Hers, he was <em>hers</em>. How in the world had that happened? She was dizzy with the thought of it, thrilled and flushed with pleasure and victory. She wanted to drag him right down into the middle of the tavern and perch herself on his lap while the Merchant’s Guild stewed behind their beards about the presumptuous Carta rat flaunting her power and untouchability. They’d never be able to dismiss her with a slur and a wink, never risk pinching her ass or shorting her for the lyrium because a crate was cracked. She could take all the gold out of their purses in Wicked Grace with a smile and no fear of a blade in her back or work shriveling up so she starved, penniless in the gutter.</p><p>They couldn’t take anything from her. Not anymore. She’d pulled the winning hand. </p><p>Maybe she was drunk, but it wasn’t just the wine. She’d become blissfully drunk on all of it. The awful cookies. Sera’s vivacious grin. Her friends. Her triumph in Orlais. Her home. Varric. <em>Varric</em>. </p><p>“Ancestors, I love you.” She admitted with a beaming smile of her own, her heart at his feet, throwing itself against her rib cage in delight. </p><p>It was like she’d uttered the magic words to drive him to madness. Before she could even draw breath, his mouth was on hers. Brutal and demanding even as his fingers gently unlaced her breeches. She capitulated easily under his skillful assault, gasping as his rough, calloused fingers brushed the soft skin of her belly and ignited a desperate inferno deep within her. </p><p>“Think you can keep quiet, beautiful?” Varric asked, his voice rough as sandpaper and she felt it hit her twice as hard as the wine did. His kisses trailed lower over her neck and when she didn’t answer quickly enough he nipped her skin gently.</p><p>“Yes.” She whined softly, bucking against him wantonly, tipping her head back to stare at the ceiling and give him unfettered access to trail kisses over her skin. Varric chuckled again and slowly dropped to his knees. She bit back a curse and clutched desperately at the railing behind her back as Varric unlaced one boot, chucking it to the side and peeling her trousers down with her smalls, leaving them dangling off one leg. The bare one he hoisted effortless up over his shoulder. </p><p>Instead of diving right for the prize, Varric brushed his stubble against the sensitive skin of her thigh. She felt his lips like pinpricks of fire dancing over her skin, leaving her breathless and aching in the best way, goosebumps pebbling her skin while he teased. </p><p>“Varric…” She warned in a low growl. He simply huffed a quiet laugh against her skin, a warm breath of air that nearly had her seeing stars. </p><p>“Quiet, baby.” He warned, and Maria couldn’t quite make out his features in the darkness, but she could hear the smug grin in his voice. “Wouldn’t want anyone coming up here to investigate, would we?” </p><p>What a sight they’d make. Varric on his knees, her spread out like an duster down to her last coppers. Maria shuddered helplessly and choked on her moan. Despite the shadows, she caught the gleam of sudden, rapt interest in Varric’s eyes. </p><p>“I’ll be damned, Princess.” Varric’s mirth was contagious. “You’re getting off on this, aren’t you? The thrill of danger, the thought that any second we might hear someone coming up those steps…” </p><p>She flushed in embarrassment and arousal, struggling not to give him the satisfaction of being proven right. He knew her too well, though, and all he did was laugh softly and press one hot kiss on the curve of her stomach before dropping his face to the curls hiding her slick center. </p><p>She was about ready to curse him for the worst tease, to beg with him to please just get on with it, sod off anyone who could hear her. Before she could, his tongue laved over her and she very nearly collapsed. Would have, if not for her iron grip on the railing and Varric’s firm hands cupping her ass. He squeezed gently and tipped her hips up, tongue tracing her wet cunt like she was exquisite, like she was perfect. </p><p>Then his tongue split her in two and she nearly yelped, tore one hand from the railing to stifle her own moans as he attacked her with gusto. He knew, after their months together, just what she needed to fall apart. He could have driven to the finish mercifully, but Varric was a man who loved to draw things out.</p><p>His tongue circled her clit, never applying enough pressure, while his rough fingers split her open. One, then two. She knew he was preparing her to take his cock, the thought of that alone made her dizzy, but she could barely concentrate on anything except trying to stiffle the whimpers in her throat. Her hips bucked against him desperately, chasing her release even as he held it tantalizingly close but out of reach. He folded his lips around her nub and sucked gently and she nearly cried out, body tensing. </p><p>She couldn’t take much more, and he knew it too. He curled his fingers within her and thrust them shallowly in and out while he sucked again. The world slowed to a crawl, her breath stuttering, heart thudding in her chest. </p><p>Then everything shattered pristinely, the shocks of her orgasm causing her to curl forward, placing too much weight on his shoulders, although he didn’t complain. He held her close and continued to lick at the mess he’d made between her thighs like she herself was the finest wine. She smoothed his sweat slicked hair from his temples and whispered his name, over and over. “Varric, Varric, Varric…” </p><p>He pulled back from her with a sloppy, obscene sound and gently lowered her thigh from his shoulder. He caught her around the waist before she could pitch forward, turning her so she faced the railing, so she looked down at all the people below her. If they looked up, they’d see their Inquisitor bent over with Varric’s big hands squeezing her ass, his fingers tugging his laces impatiently and bending her back so she arched just the way he liked. </p><p>“Maria…” He sighed her name as he hilted inside her in one smooth stroke. She could feel every bump and ridge of his cock stretching her, filling her, delicious and perfect. She expected him to take her frantically, to rush this, but instead he withdrew and slipped slowly back into her cunt like there wasn’t a hurry in the world. </p><p>“You’re so beautiful, baby.” He crooned softly as his hands squeezed her ass. “Perfect. Especially like this.” </p><p>She whimpered and Varric’s next thrust came harder, caused her to tighten her white knuckled grip on the railing. He leaned over her to place a soft, gentle kiss on her shoulder. “My little minx.” </p><p>The fondness in his voice nearly overwhelmed her, but not as much as the next words whispered in her ear. “I love you, Maria.” </p><p>The emotions clawed at her throat, threatened to derail everything. This, she thought sweetly, this was worth the wracking pain of the anchor, the pressure of always needing to do the right thing, say the right thing. This, this, <em>this</em>. </p><p>“Then fuck me properly.” She huffed out instead, half laughing, half moaning, all desperate, blinding <em>need.</em></p><p>“If you insist.” His voice was all velvet heat and dark promises. </p><p>He delivered in the next thrust that had her almost keening, would have had her screaming to the tavern roof if she hadn’t remembered at the last second to bite her lip until it swelled and bruised beneath her teeth. </p><p>After that, it was just trying to cling onto the slipping threads of her self-control as the pleasure crested. He battered into that spot inside her unerringly until she clenched on him again. She lost her battle with the moans inside her, but Varric slapped a palm over her mouth before she could give them away. His broad form crowded over hers as he grunted, rhythm stuttering, but his other hand found the juncture of her thighs easily and lightly caressed her swollen, tender clit. It sent her careening into her final, last orgasm, everything vanishing in a haze of color and sound, nothing but her and Varric’s cock swelling inside her, his hand, the scent of leather and ink and parchment on his hands. </p><p>She came back to herself as they both sank to their knees, still joined as he softened, her body collapsing back on his. He buried his face in her neck and groaned softly. She thought she could hear bits of muttered phrases, incoherent nonsense, about how she was a menace, that he was far too old to cater to her hedonistic whims, that he pulled a muscle and…</p><p>She giggled and pressed her lips to his cheek. His arms tightened around her waist before dropping to affectionately pat her bare thigh. “Better get your pants back on your Inquistorialness.” </p><p>“Mmmhmm.” She replied drowsily, nuzzling into his neck. “Breeches. Right. Before Sera steals them.” </p><p>“Before we traumatize Cole and one of us has to have the talk with him.” </p><p>“Not it.” Maria mumbled, but she reached for the tangled mess around her calf. They righted themselves slowly, leisurely, with long lingering touches and small reassuring pecks. Varric combed his rough fingers through her mused hair. She retied his obnoxious sash. He retrieved her missing boot. </p><p>“Why is the Merchant’s Guild wanting to see me?” She finally asked, stretching and yawning. </p><p>“Oh. You know.” He waved her question away. She refused to be distracted so easily and leveled him with a stern gaze. He shrugged uneasily.</p><p>“They’re planning on bullying you into opening up some passes to them free of charge in the mountains.” Varric rubbed a tiny circle in his temple. “They had a pretty clear idea of how they’d do it. Standard tactics for strong-arming another family. Bit more mercenary because you’re Carta and…” </p><p>She could just imagine the words they used to describe her, wondered how much of it Varric’s source reported back to him. Carta whore, rat, thug, mercenary… </p><p>Inquisitor. Inquisitor Maria <em>fucking</em> Cadash. Everyone who didn’t like it could sod off. </p><p>“I wonder how long we can ignore them.” Maria mused into the air. </p><p>“About six months at a time in my experience.” Varric’s smile twitched in real amusement. The lines had vanished around his eyes and Maria counted it as a win. </p><p>“Bet I could do it for seven.” She challenged with a toss of her hair. Varric’s smile became a laugh.</p><p>“Princess, you’re on.” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come find me on tumblr! https://cartadwarfwithaheartofgold.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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